Forging a welcoming environment for women in welding

By Chloe-Anne Swink

McLean Forge and Welding is a locally owned staple that has been a part of the Boulder community for over 30 years. 7 years ago, Co-owners Ray Tuomey and Paul Szlyk purchased the business. They aim to maintain its well-built foundation, reputation, and integrity while branching out to take on more intricate metalworking projects and make a point to invite diversity into the workplace.

McLean is recognized for artisanal custom railings and decorative architectural pieces found in homes throughout Boulder and the surrounding areas. With Tuomey and Szlyk at the helm, what’s going on behind the scenes is equally as impressive as the elegance and mastery displayed in their products.

Tuomey and Szlyk have consciously curated a team of skilled fabricators that directly reflects their shared values of inclusivity, experience, and a willingness to learn and inquire.

According to labor statistics, about 93% of welders are men, yet McLean has curated a close-knit team of welders that deviates greatly from this industry norm. 50% of the fabricators employed at McLean Forge and Welding are women.

“Stylistically we both [Tuomey and Szlyk] came in with an intention of having a diverse workplace,” Tuomey says. “There weren’t any specific thoughts of ‘we’re going to hire a bunch of women’. It was more along the lines of let’s get the best people in here that we can—and that happened pretty organically.”

The women welders at McLean Forge and Welding echo Tuomey’s sentiment, each lauding Tuomey and Szlyk’s hiring process.

“We care more about quality than some perception of a person. We’re open to different backgrounds, different people, and different types of people. We really focus on who does the best work,” says Lead Fabricator, Kai Felbinger.

Having recently been through the hiring process, the company’s newest fabricator, Chloe Peterson speaks of the positive experience she had. “Even at the interview, I got to meet everybody before they hired me on”. She believes Tuomey and Szlyk’s careful hiring process lends itself to building the inclusive workplace and well-oiled team that she’s been a part of for the last month.

“The combination of choosing the best candidates and then allowing the other workers to interact with them and have a say in it makes it so it’s not only super inclusive, but you also know that you’re working with the best applicants and the workplace is going to run smoothly,” says Chloe regarding the hive mentality that’s integrated into the company’s hiring process.

The overarching goal has always been to create exquisite, custom products for their clients. However, Tuomey and Szlyk have found providing a safe and comfortable workplace that facilitates growth for their employees equally important.

Tuomey’s proudest achievements in business are “doing work that is beautiful and useful” and “creating livelihood for our employees that is meaningful and makes coming to work fun”.

Not only is he able to employ a well-rounded, diverse, and talented group of people, but he also takes pride in being a steward of the trades—which he says have often been “neglected in general in terms of funneling students that aren’t on the college path into something like welding.” He laments that the trades are often “given a backseat” to other career paths.

For women in particular, entering a trade can often feel inaccessible or even discouraged. When describing her own experience as a female entering trade work, Kai Felbinger says she was often met with responses like “Are you sure you want to do that?” or even, “Oh, you don’t want to do that,” instead of the positive reinforcement that often accompanies girls in their formative years choosing traditional career paths.

“We don’t talk about it enough. We talk to young men about trades, but we don’t tell women enough about it.” Felbinger says.

There’s no doubt that the work being done at McLean Forge and Welding is something special. Both backstage and artfully displayed in local residences. Tumey and Szlyk are proud to be afforded opportunities to replace old and out-of-place architecture and railings with showcase pieces that are “transformative” for the whole home and shine a light on the talent and expertise their team has cultivated. mcleanforge.com